That is interesting. I have been wondering lately if there is a connection between difficult cases and difficult recoveries. It certainly makes sense! And then it would also be true that the people with the more difficult cases wouldn’t mind the difficult recoveries as much, because they are getting rid of bigger and worse symptoms.
5 Likes
Bopper,
It seems that the longer the surgery takes, the tougher the recovery can be. You’re right, a longer surgery is usually due to a more complex situation w/ the nerves/vascular tissues needing to be moved. Doing that as carefully as possible to prevent further damage is time consuming. That is a good observation on your part.
dr hepworth’s NP also told me that generally the less functional and more pain you’re in before surgery the worse recovery can be. Sort of along those same lines. She was hopeful that since I was fairly functional before surgery I wouldn’t have it too bad.
Today the pain has been a lot worse, which I was prepared for. Not sure if I just wasn’t keeping up with the pain pills well enough or what. The worst pain I’m having is behind my right tonsil, almost similar to the throat pain I had before surgery. I’m guessing that may have been where mt styloid or ligament or something was poking or something. I’m pretty confident it’s not related to intubation because the other side feels completely fine but swallowing hurts a lot. My nausea patch also wore off today and I’m noticing that as well… stomach just feels a bit unsettled and blah. also I’ve had the chills off and on, but I don’t have a fever or anything so not sure what to think of that. I’m debating taking a tiny bit of thc edible to help with the stomach. I’ve spent most of the day in bed with my ice pack. I’m hangin in but I’ve certainly felt better.
I meeting Dr Hepworths NP this coming Friday! I hope I am able to get surgery soon, how long did it take since the meeting to get the surgery scheduled? Also, I have had many surgeries and nothing works better than a nice smoke or edible. ;p
1 Like
@hyperichard i agree with you nothing quite like MJ for nausea. It took me a long time to get scheduled for surgery because I went through a lot of testing and trying other treatments before getting a diagnosis and then before we decided that was the best path. I think if you’ve already been diagnosed that will prob cut down on the time and hopefully they can get you on the schedule ASAP. He was booking about two or three months out first surgery when I made my appt, but could be longer or shorter now idk.
I ended up calling the on call doctor because the chills and high heart rate were concerning to us. the on call dr called me in some zofran and for whatever reason after being upright for a while and taking a zofran I’m feeling better re: nausea and chills and my heart rate has gone down below 100 finally. Not sure what is going on there. My pain has improved too so I wonder if I was just lying down too much today and needed to get my blood moving. On call doctor said it kind of sounded like POTs especially since I had tachycardia upon waking up from surgery too. But obviously need to have more testing and what not to make that call but it has def been a small complication I didn’t expect.
blossom,
I’m sorry this has been a harder day for you, but glad things a bit better at the moment. You’re in that 3-5 day post op window where things can be at their worst. I definitely went through pain escalation in that time frame. Days 7-8 things should begin settling down.
I’m hopeful your tachycardia will stop as your nerves & jugular vein recover. There is a good chance it will, but if it doesn’t, & you decide to pursue a possible POTS diagnosis, @Snapple2020 is a great resource for information on how to approach that.
I hope tomorrow is a better day for you. 
1 Like
I hope that things settle down for you quickly & that it’s just a temporary blip…could perhaps be the Vagus nerve a bit irritated? Thinking of you & sending you a hug
3 Likes
@Jules that’s a really good thought about the vagus nerve… I don’t know for sure obviously but it definitely felt like my whole body was just out of wack. Thankfully it settled down last night and today has been a lot more manageable! I have still been having some nausea from the pain pills (possibly anesthesia?) but the zofran is helping and I’ve been able to eat more today. I feel like if I did this again I’d have just requested some nausea meds from the get go, but Dr. H’s on call doctor called me back within 20 mins and was super responsive and helpful even at 8 pm Saturday night so that made all the difference. Just a small hiccup but I think I’m back on track today.
2 Likes
I ran out of pain medicine this morning so had to call and ask for more. Now I am feeling paranoid they won’t prescribe more or I am taking too much or something? I tried to go down to just one pain pill every four hours yesterday and I regretted it and was hurting a lot, then I had to play catch up. Right now I am taking two every six hours. Is it normal to need a refill? It’s been less than a week since my surgery so I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal but based on what the nurse said on the phone I’m worried now. I don’t know if I can manage on just Tylenol today.
It’s important to keep on top of the pain, not good if you’re suffering, so certainly keep on them a bit longer if you need it. Sometimes the doctors underestimate the recovery, & we’re all different with different nerves affected by surgery, so don’t worry…I hope that you can get some more soon, & glad that the team were helpful last time you asked. Sending you a hug
1 Like
Thanks Jules. Dr Hepworth’s office was pretty responsive and called me back within a few hours saying they’d call in more, but then I got the runaround from insurance (they wouldn’t cover the prescription without prior authorization, ridiculous) and from the pharmacy, which took hours to fill it. Almost eight hours later I finally was able to take more. Now I’m playing catch up again and trying to take it easy and ice and do breathing exercises but I am ok. Pretty awful day! The healthcare system in America is beyond frustrating.
Hi blossom,
I took Rx pain meds for close to 6 weeks after my first surgery. I was able to start tapering around the end of week 2 & by the end was taking 1/2 or 1/4 of a pill as needed. Fortunately, I didn’t have the troubles you’ve had getting mine filled but that was 7 years ago. Many things have changed in that time. I’m glad your Rx was successfully refilled but sorry you had to wait. Hopefully you won’t need more beyond what you have now, but don’t be afraid to ask if you do. Perhaps ask a day ahead next time in case there are barriers to leap over again.
1 Like
Thanks! That’s helpful to know. Yeah ideally I’d have called earlier but the timing was unfortunate with it being Sunday yesterday. Also my first day home alone as my partner went back to work today so that complicated things. I’m feeling better now! Just a bit of a tough day, tomorrow will be better I hope.
1 Like
Hopefully a better day tomorrow indeed…it’s very early days yet 
1 Like
Blossom,
I hope things are better now. Ive been out of touch and offline for a couple weeks. I had an issue with insurance too my last surgery. It sometimes depends on the state laws around opioids and the number of them prescribed that triggers it. In my case, I also have an RX for zantax in the system although it is “as needed” for me to sleep. The insurance company wouldn’t fill the rx until the doctor confirmed he/she was aware I also was taking zantax. It was on a saturday and my surgery early am monday. I had to jump thru alot of hoops to get the doctor on call to call the pharmacy and finally got the rx filled at the end of the day. This was in California which has stricter opioid rules. I was not too happy about this and had to make alot of calls. I knew I couldn’t deal with this after surgery. I think some of this is pharmacists being concerned about liability too. When I had a tooth extraction go sideways, I have to get about 6 refills and the pharmacist started to ask questions and give me the side eye. Having to deal with this while in extreme pain would be the worst. Sorry you went thru this.
3 Likes